Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic period in what is now North America. Facts A large, heavily built, herbivorous quadruped, Stegosaurus had a distinctive and unusual posture, with a heavily rounded back, short forelimbs, head held low to the ground and a stiffened tail held high in the air. Its array of plates and spikes has been the subject of much speculation. The spikes were most likely used for defense, while the plates have also been proposed as a defensive mechanism, as well as having display and thermoregulatory functions. Stegosaurus had a relatively low brain-to-body mass ratio. It had a short neck and small head, meaning it most likely ate low-lying bushes and shrubs. It was the largest of all the stegosaurians (bigger than genera such as Kentrosaurus and Huayangosaurus) and, although roughly bus-sized, it nonetheless shared many anatomical features (including the tail spines and plates) with the other stegosaurian genera. )]]The quadrupedal ''Stegosaurus is one of the most easily identifiable dinosaur genera, due to the distinctive double row of kite-shaped plates rising vertically along the rounded back and the two pairs of long spikes extending horizontally near the end of the tail. Although large animals at up to 9 metres (30 ft) in length, the various species of Stegosaurus were dwarfed by their contemporaries, the giant sauropods. Some form of armor appears to have been necessary, as Stegosaurus species coexisted with large predatory theropod dinosaurs, such as Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus. Appearances in the programmes ''Walking With Dinosaurs Time of the Titans '')]] ''Stegosaurus was seen numerously throughout the episode. One notable scene was when a large male Stegosaurus entered a canyon to drink near a creche of baby Diplodocus. However, from around the corner, a pair of adult Allosaurus appeared. As the Diplodocus fled, the Stegosaurus was spooked and accidentally killed one by swinging his tail at it. As one of the Allosaurus fed on a Diplodocus, the other confronted the Stegosaurus. However, with a combination of tail swinging and a frightening display of colour, the Stegosaurus succeeded in warding off the Allosaurus. ''The Ballad of Big Al ''Stegosaurus appeared several times as a background animal. A Stegosaurus corpse was seen stuck next to an still-living Allosaurus in the thick mud around a river bank. As a female Allosaurus approached the carcass, eager to feed, she too got stuck. Another notable appearance was when two Stegosaurus - one male and one female - approached each other at the local lake. As they prepared to get into position to mate, Big Al appeared and came to the lake to drink. The smell of blood he was carrying with him disturbed the pair. The Stegosaurus then scared off Al. ''Chased by Dinosaurs ''Stegosaurus, along with several other dinosaurs appeared in the opening titles in the scene where they surround Nigel Marven. )]] Walking With Monsters Clash of Titans ''Stegosaurus was seen at the end of the episode in the Jurassic landscape. The scene shown in the episode was stock footage from Time of the Titans. Trivia *''Stegosaurus'' is the only stegosaurid to appear in the programmes. Category:Herbivores Category:Walking with Dinosaurs Animals Category:Time of the Titans animals Category:The Ballad of Big Al animals Category:Walking with Monsters Animals Category:Clash of Titans animals Category:Walking With Dinosaurs Wonderbook animals Category:Walking With Dinosaurs website animals Category:Mesozoic animals Category:Jurassic animals Category:Animals from North America Category:Animals from Colorado Category:Animals from Wyoming Category:Animals from Utah Category:Animals from Europe Category:Animals from Portugal Category:Animals Category:Vertebrates Category:Chordates Category:Reptiles Category:Dinosaurs Category:Ornithischians Category:Stegosaurids Category:Quadrupedal animals Category:Walking with Wikia